Light-emitting device

ABSTRACT

A light-emitting unit ( 140 ) is formed over a first surface ( 102 ) of a substrate ( 100 ). A first terminal ( 112 ) and a second terminal ( 132 ) are formed on the first surface ( 102 ) of the substrate ( 100 ), and are electrically connected to the light-emitting unit ( 140 ). A sealing layer ( 200 ) is formed over the first surface ( 102 ) of the substrate ( 100 ), and seals the light-emitting unit ( 140 ). In addition, the sealing layer ( 2 00) does not cover the first terminal ( 112 ) and the second terminal ( 132 ). A cover layer ( 210 ) is formed over the sealing layer ( 200 ), and is formed of a material different from that of the cover layer ( 210 ). In at least a portion of a region located next to the first terminal ( 112 ) and a region located next to the second terminal ( 132 ), a portion of an end of the cover layer ( 210 ) protrudes from the sealing layer ( 200 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a light-emitting device.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, there has been progress in the development oflight-emitting devices including organic electroluminescence (EL)elements in light-emitting units. The organic EL element has aconfiguration in which an organic layer is interposed between a firstelectrode and a second electrode. Since the organic layer is vulnerableto moisture and oxygen, the light-emitting unit is required to besealed. One method for sealing the light-emitting unit is by using asealing layer. Examples of methods of forming the sealing layer includevapor phase film formation methods such as atomic layer deposition(ALD), CVD, and sputtering.

Meanwhile, Patent Document 1 discloses using a lift-off method whenforming a convex pattern on a magnetic recording layer.

RELATED DOCUMENT Patent Document

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application PublicationNo. 2014-86114

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A substrate of a light-emitting device includes, in addition to theabove-described light-emitting unit, a terminal connected to thelight-emitting unit. However, since a sealing layer generally formedusing a vapor phase method will also cover the terminal. For thisreason, the sealing layer formed over the terminal needs to be removed.

An exemplary problem to be solved by the present invention is tofacilitate removal of a sealing layer present over a terminal.

According to the invention of claim 1, there is provided alight-emitting device including: a substrate; a light-emitting unitformed over the substrate; a terminal which is formed on the substrate,and is electrically connected to the light-emitting unit; a sealinglayer, formed over the substrate, which seals the light-emitting unitand does not cover the terminal; and a cover layer which is formed overthe sealing layer, and is formed of a material different from that ofthe sealing layer, wherein an end of the cover layer is located furtheroutside than an end of the sealing layer, in at least a portion of aregion located next to the terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages will be madeclearer from certain preferred embodiments described below, and thefollowing accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a light-emittingdevice according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram in which a cover layer, a sealing layer, and asecond electrode are removed from FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram in which an insulating layer and an organic layerare removed from FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a region surrounded by a dotted line a ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of manufacturinga light-emitting device.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of alight-emitting device according to Modification Example 1.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of manufacturingthe light-emitting device according to FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of alight-emitting device according to Modification Example 2.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of alight-emitting device according to Modification Example 3.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a light-emitting device according to a secondembodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram in which a partition wall, a second electrode, anorganic layer, and an insulating layer are removed from FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of FIG. 11.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings. In all the drawings, likeelements are referenced by like reference numerals and the descriptionsthereof will not be repeated.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a light-emittingdevice 10 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram in whicha cover layer 210, a sealing layer 200, and a second electrode 130 areremoved from FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram in which an insulating layer150 and an organic layer 120 are removed from FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is across-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is anenlarged view of a region surrounded by a dotted line a of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the light-emitting device 10 according to theembodiment includes a substrate 100, a light-emitting unit 140, a firstterminal 112, a second terminal 132, a sealing layer 200, and a coverlayer 210. The light-emitting unit 140 is formed over a first surface102 of the substrate 100. The first terminal 112 and the second terminal132 are formed on the first surface 102 of the substrate 100, and areelectrically connected to the light-emitting unit 140. The sealing layer200 is formed over the first surface 102 of the substrate 100, and sealsthe light-emitting unit 140. In addition, the sealing layer 200 does notcover the first terminal 112 and the second terminal 132. The coverlayer 210 is formed on the sealing layer 200, and is formed of amaterial different from that of the cover layer 210. As shown in FIGS.1, 4, and 5, in at least each portion of a region located next to thefirst terminal 112 and a region located next to the second terminal 132,a portion of the end of the cover layer 210 protrudes from the sealinglayer 200, serving as a protrusion 212. In other words, at least aportion of the end of the cover layer 210 is located further outsidethan the end of the sealing layer 200. The light-emitting device 10 maybe an illumination device or a display, FIGS. 1 to 4 indicating anillumination device as the light-emitting device 10. Hereinafter, thedetailed description thereof will be given.

First, the light-emitting device 10 will be described with reference toFIGS. 1 to 4.

In a case where the light-emitting device 10 is a bottom-emission typelight-emitting device, the substrate 100 is, for example, a glasssubstrate or a resin substrate which has optical transparency. On theother hand, in a case where the light-emitting device 10 is atop-emission type light-emitting device, the substrate 100 is notrequired to have optical transparency. In addition, the substrate 100may have flexibility. In a case where the substrate has flexibility, thethickness of the substrate 100 is, for example, equal to or greater than10 pm and equal to or less than 1,000 μm. The substrate 100 is polygonalsuch as, for example, rectangular. In a case where the substrate 100 isa resin substrate, the substrate 100 is formed using, for example,polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyether sulphone (PES), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), or polyimide. In addition, in a case where thesubstrate 100 is a resin substrate, an inorganic barrier film of SiNx,SiON or the like is formed on at least one surface (preferably, bothsurfaces) of the substrate 100 in order to prevent moisture frompermeating the substrate 100. Meanwhile, a planarization layer (forexample, organic layer) maybe provided between the inorganic barrierfilm and the substrate 100.

The light-emitting unit 140 is formed over the first surface 102 of thesubstrate 100. The light-emitting unit 140 has a configuration in whicha first electrode 110, the organic layer 120, and the second electrode130 are laminated in this order.

The first electrode 110 is a transparent electrode having opticaltransparency. A material of the transparent electrode is a metal oxideformed of a material containing a metal, for example, an indium tinoxide (ITO), an indium zinc oxide (IZO), an indium tungsten zinc oxide(IWZO), a zinc oxide (ZnO) or the like. The thickness of the firstelectrode 110 is, for example, equal to or greater than 10 nm and equalto or less than 500 nm. The first electrode 110 is formed by, forexample, sputtering or vapor deposition. Meanwhile, the first electrode110 may be formed using a conductive organic material such as carbonnanotubes or PEDOT/PSS.

The organic layer 120 includes a light-emitting layer. The organic layer120 has a configuration in which, for example, a hole injection layer, alight-emitting layer, and an electron injection layer are laminated inthis order. A hole transport layer may be formed between the holeinjection layer and the light-emitting layer. In addition, an electrontransport layer may be formed between the light-emitting layer and theelectron injection layer. The organic layer 120 may be formed by vapordeposition. In addition, at least one layer of the organic layer 120,for example, a layer which is in contact with the first electrode 110may be formed using a coating method such as ink jet, printing, orspraying. Meanwhile, in this case, the remaining layers of the organiclayer 120 are formed using vapor deposition. In addition, all the layersof the organic layer 120 may be formed by a coating method.

The second electrode 130 includes a metal layer constituted of a metalselected from a first group consisting of, for example, Al, Au, Ag(which may be Ag ink or Ag nanowire), Pt, Mg, Sn, Zn, and In, or analloy of metals selected from the first group. In this case, the secondelectrode 130 has light shielding properties. The thickness of thesecond electrode 130 is, for example, equal to or greater than 10 nm andequal to or less than 500 nm. However, the second electrode 130 may beformed using a material exemplified as the material of the firstelectrode 110. The second electrode 130 is formed by, for example,sputtering or vapor deposition.

Meanwhile, the above-described materials of the first electrode 110 andthe second electrode 130 are used for the light-emitting device 10 thatis a bottom-emission type. In a case where the light-emitting device 10is a top-emission type, the materials of the first electrode 110 and thematerials of the second electrode 130 are reversed. That is, theabove-described materials of the second electrode 130 are used as thematerials of the first electrode 110, and the above-described materialsof the first electrode 110 are used as the materials of the secondelectrode 130.

The edge of the first electrode 110 is covered with the insulating layer150. The insulating layer 150 is formed of a photosensitive resinmaterial such as, for example, polyimide, and surrounds a portion of thefirst electrode 110 which serves as a light-emitting region of thelight-emitting unit 140. By providing the insulating layer 150, it ispossible to prevent the first electrode 110 and the second electrode 130from being short-circuited at the edge of the first electrode 110.

In addition, the light-emitting device 10 includes the first terminal112 and the second terminal 132. The first terminal 112 is connected tothe first electrode 110, and the second terminal 132 is connected to thesecond electrode 130. The first terminal 112 and the second terminal 132include, for example, a layer formed of the same material as that of thefirst electrode 110. Meanwhile, an extraction interconnect maybeprovided between the first terminal 112 and the first electrode 110. Inaddition, an extraction interconnect may be provided between the secondterminal 132 and the second electrode 130.

A positive electrode terminal of a control circuit is connected to thefirst terminal 112 through a conductive member (an example of anelectronic part) such as a bonding wire or a lead terminal, and anegative electrode terminal of the control circuit is connected to thesecond terminal 132 through a conductive member such as a bonding wireor a lead terminal. However, a circuit element such as a semiconductorpackage may be directly connected to at least one of the first terminal112 and the second terminal 132. In addition, the first terminal 112 andthe second terminal 132 may be connected to the control circuit througha flexible printed circuit (FPC) substrate. In this case, the firstterminal 112 and the second terminal 132 are connected to the FPCthrough, for example, an anisotropic conductive resin.

The substrate 100 is further provided with the sealing layer 200 and thecover layer 210.

The sealing layer 200 is formed over a surface of the substrate 100which has the light-emitting unit 140 formed thereon, and covers thelight-emitting unit 140. However, the first terminal 112 and the secondterminal 132 are not covered with the sealing layer 200. The sealinglayer 200 is formed of, for example, an insulating material, morespecifically, an inorganic material. In addition, the thickness of thesealing layer 200 is preferably equal to or less than 300 nm. Moreover,the thickness of the sealing layer 200 is, for example, equal to orgreater than 50 nm. The sealing layer 200 is formed using atomic layerdeposition (ALD). Formation of the sealing layer by ALD allows toimprove the step coverage property of the sealing layer 200. However,the sealing layer 200 may be formed using other film formation methods,for example, CVD or sputtering.

The sealing layer 200 may have a multi-layered structure in which plurallayers are laminated. In this case, the sealing layer may have astructure in which a first sealing layer constituted of a first materialand a second sealing layer constituted of a second material arerepeatedly laminated. The lowermost layer may be any of the firstsealing layer and the second sealing layer. In addition, the uppermostlayer may also be any of the first sealing layer and the second sealinglayer. In addition, the sealing film 200 may be a single layer in whichthe first material and the second material are mixed with each other.

The cover layer 210 protects the sealing layer 200. Specifically, thecover layer 210 is formed in at least a region overlapping thelight-emitting unit 140 but does not overlap most of the first terminal112 and most of the second terminal 132. The cover layer 210 is formedusing a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin. However, the coverlayer 210 may be a photo-curable resin, and may be a film or a metalfoil having an adhesive layer. In addition, the cover layer 210 may be aglass plate. The cover layer 210 is thicker than the sealing layer 200.For example, in a case where the cover layer 210 is formed of a resin,the thickness of the cover layer 210 is, for example, equal to orgreater than 25 μm and equal to or less than 300 μm.

The edge of the cover layer 210 is located within the region of thesealing layer 200, except for the vicinity of the first terminal 112 andthe vicinity of the second terminal 132. However, the edge of the coverlayer 210 may also be located outside the edge of the sealing layer 200in these regions.

Next, a cross-sectional structure of the vicinity of the first terminal112 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. Meanwhile, across-sectional structure of the vicinity of the second terminal 132 isalso the same as that of FIG. 5.

As described above, in the region located next to the first terminal112, the end of the cover layer 210 protrudes from the sealing layer 200in the outside direction of the light-emitting device 10, and serves asthe protrusion 212. In other words, in at least a portion of a regionlocated below the end of the cover layer 210, the sealing layer 200 isnot present. The lower surface of the protrusion 212 may not be incontact with either the first electrode 110 or the substrate 100. In theexample shown in FIG. 5, the lower surface of at least the end of theprotrusion 212 is located higher above compared to a portion of thelower surface of the cover layer 210 which is in contact with thesealing layer 200. This is due to formation of a lift-off layer 220between the sealing layer 200 and the first terminal 112, describedlater. However, the stepped portion may be eliminated by subjecting thestepped portion to thermo-compression.

Next, a method of manufacturing the light-emitting device 10 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 6. First, the first electrode 110 isformed on the substrate 100. In this step, the first terminal 112 andalso the second terminal 132 are formed. Next, the insulating layer 150,the organic layer 120, and the second electrode 130 are formed in thisorder.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the lift-off layer 220 is formed on the firstterminal 112 and the second terminal 132. The lift-off layer 220 is forexample, a layer which is removed by a chemical solution or water, andis, for example, a solubilized acrylic-based resin. The thickness of thelift-off layer 220 is, for example, equal to or greater than 1 pm andequal to or less than 5 μm.

Next, the sealing layer 200 is formed using, for example, a filmformation method such as CVD, sputtering, or ALD. At this time, thesealing layer 200 is formed over substantially the entire surface of thefirst surface 102 of the substrate 100, inclusive of a regionoverlapping the light-emitting unit 140. Therefore, the first terminal112 and the second terminal 132 are also covered with the sealing layer200.

Next, a layer serving as the cover layer 210 is formed on the sealinglayer 200 using, for example, a coating method. At this time, the layerto serve as the cover layer 210 is made to overlap at least a portion ofthe lift-off layer 220 (for example, the portion is a region of the edgeof the lift-off layer 220 which is located in the vicinity of thelight-emitting unit 140) . Next, the cover layer 210 is cured. At thistime, stress occurs between the sealing layer 200 and the cover layer210. For this reason, cracking is generated in a region of the lift-offlayer 220 which overlaps the sealing layer 200. A part of the crackingis also generated in a portion of the sealing layer 200 which overlapsthe lift-off layer 220 but is not covered with the cover layer 210.Particularly, in a case where the cover layer 210 is formed of athermosetting resin, in this curing step, thermal stress occurs betweenthe sealing layer 200 and the cover layer 210 due to a differencebetween the coefficients of thermal expansion of materials for formingthese layers. For this reason, many cracks are generated in the regionof the sealing layer 200 which overlaps the lift-off layer 220.

Next, a portion of the sealing layer 200 which overlaps the firstterminal 112 and a portion thereof which overlaps the second terminal132 are washed by a liquid (chemical solution or water) for dissolvingthe lift-off layer 220. This liquid reaches the lift-off layer 220through the cracks formed in the sealing layer 200, and dissolves thelift-off layer 220. Thereby, the portion of the sealing layer 200 whichoverlaps the first terminal 112 and the portion thereof which overlapsthe second terminal 132 are removed. The protrusion 212 is formed in thecover layer 210 at this time.

As stated above, according to the present embodiment, the layer servingas the cover layer 210 overlaps at least a portion of the lift-off layer220. Therefore, when the cover layer 210 is cured, stress occurs betweenthe lift-off layer 220 and the cover layer 210, and as a result, cracksare generated in a portion of the sealing layer 200 which is located onthe lift-off layer 220. Therefore, it is possible to easily remove theportion of the sealing layer 200 which is located on the lift-off layer220, that is, the portion of the sealing layer 200 which overlaps thefirst terminal 112 and the portion thereof which overlaps the secondterminal 132. As a result, the protrusion 212 is formed in the coverlayer 210.

Modification Example 1

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of alight-emitting device 10 according to Modification Example 1, andcorresponds to FIG. 5 in the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is across-sectional view illustrating a method of manufacturing thelight-emitting device 10 shown in FIG. 7, and corresponds to FIG. 6 inthe first embodiment.

The light-emitting device 10 according to the present modificationexample has the same configuration as that of the light-emitting device10 according to the first embodiment, except that the sealing layer 200is formed over a region of the substrate 100 which is located around thefirst terminal 112. In other words, an opening is formed in each of aregion of the sealing layer 200 which overlaps the first terminal 112and a region of the sealing layer 200 which overlaps the second terminal132. In order to achieve the above, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, theedge of the lift-off layer 220 should be shifted from the edge of thesubstrate 100. Meanwhile, the vicinity of the second terminal 132 mayalso have the same structure as that of FIG. 7.

In the present modification example, when the cover layer 210 is curedas is the case with the first embodiment, cracks are also generated inthe sealing layer 200. Therefore, it is possible to easily lift off thesealing layer 200 located on the lift-off layer 220.

Modification Example 2

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of alight-emitting device 10 according to Modification Example 2, andcorresponds to FIG. 5 in the first embodiment. The light-emitting device10 according to the present modification example has the sameconfiguration as that of the light-emitting device 10 according toModification Example 1, except that the sealing layer 200 is formed onthe end of the first terminal 112. In order to achieve such aconfiguration, the edge of the lift-off layer 220 should be shifted fromthe edge of the first terminal 112. Meanwhile, the vicinity of thesecond terminal 132 may also have the same structure as that of FIG. 9.

In the present modification example, when the cover layer 210 is curedas is the case with the first embodiment, cracks are also generated inthe sealing layer 200. Therefore, it is possible to easily lift off thesealing layer 200 located on the lift-off layer 220.

Modification Example 3

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of alight-emitting device 10 according to Modification Example 3, andcorresponds to FIG. 5 in the first embodiment. The light-emitting device10 according to the present modification example has the sameconfiguration as that of the light-emitting device 10 according to thefirst embodiment, Modification Example 1, or Modification Example 2,except that the first terminal 112 includes a conductor layer 160.Meanwhile, FIG. 10 shows the same case as that in the first embodiment.

The conductor layer 160 is formed on a layer that continues from thefirst electrode 110, and is formed of a material having a lowerresistance than that of the first electrode 110, for example, a metal oran alloy. The conductor layer 160 is formed, and thus the resistance ofthe first terminal 112 becomes lower. Meanwhile, the conductor layer 160may also be formed on the first electrode 110. In this case, plurallinear conductor layers 160 are formed on the first electrode 110. Theseconductor layers 160 function as an auxiliary electrode of the firstelectrode 110. Thereby, the apparent resistance of the first electrode110 becomes lower. Meanwhile, the conductor layer 160 may have amulti-layered structure. For example, the conductor layer 160 may have aconfiguration in which a first layer constituted of Mo or a Mo alloy, asecond layer constituted of Al or an Al alloy, and a third layerconstituted of Mo or a Mo alloy overlapped in this order. In this case,the thicknesses of the first layer and the third layer are, for example,equal to or greater than 40 nm and equal to or less than 200 nm. Inaddition, the thickness of the second layer is, for example, equal to orgreater than 50 nm and equal to or less than 1,000 nm.

Meanwhile, the second terminal 132 also has a configuration shown in thedrawing.

In the present modification example also, when the cover layer 210 iscured as is the case with the first embodiment, cracks are generated inthe sealing layer 200. Therefore, it is possible to easily lift off thesealing layer 200 located on the lift-off layer 220. In addition, it ispossible to lower the resistance of the first terminal 112 and theresistance of the second terminal 132.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a light-emitting device 10 according to asecond embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram in which a partition wall 170,the second electrode 130, the organic layer 120, and the insulatinglayer 150 are removed from FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional viewtaken along line B-B of FIG. 11, FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view takenalong line C-C of FIG. 11, and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view takenalong line D-D of FIG. 11.

The light-emitting device 10 according to the present embodiment is adisplay, and includes the substrate 100, the first electrode 110, thelight-emitting unit 140, the insulating layer 150, plural openings 152,plural openings 154, plural extraction interconnects 114, the organiclayer 120, the second electrode 130, plural extraction interconnects134, and plural partition walls 170.

The first electrode 110 extends linearly in a first direction (Ydirection in FIG. 11). The end of the first electrode 110 is connectedto the extraction interconnect 114.

The extraction interconnect 114 is an interconnect for connecting thefirst electrode 110 to the first terminal 112. In the example shown inthe drawing, one end side of the extraction interconnect 114 isconnected to the first electrode 110, and the other end side of theextraction interconnect 114 serves as the first terminal 112. In theexample shown in the drawing, the first electrode 110 and the extractioninterconnect 114 are integrally formed. The conductor layer 160 isformed on the extraction interconnect 114. The configuration of theconductor layer 160 is the same as that in Modification Example 3.Meanwhile, a portion of the extraction interconnect 114 is covered withthe insulating layer 150.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and FIGS. 13 to 15, the insulating layer 150 isformed on plural first electrodes 110 and in a region locatedtherebetween. The plural openings 152 and the plural openings 154 areformed in the insulating layer 150. Plural second electrodes 130 extendin parallel to each other in a direction intersecting the firstelectrodes 110 (for example, in a direction orthogonal to the firstelectrode 110: X direction in FIG. 11).

The partition wall 170 of which the details will be described laterextends between the plural second electrodes 130. The opening 152 islocated at the point of intersection between the first electrode 110 andthe second electrode 130 when seen in a plan view. Specifically, theplural openings 152 are aligned in the extending direction of the firstelectrode 110 (Y direction in FIG. 11). In addition, the plural openings152 are also aligned in the extending direction of the second electrode130 (X direction in FIG. 11). Therefore, the plural openings 152 aredisposed so as to constitute a matrix.

The opening 154 is located in a region overlapping one end side of eachof the plural second electrodes 130 when seen in a plan view. Inaddition, the opening 154 is disposed along one side of the matrixconstituted by the openings 152. When seen in a direction (for example,Y direction in FIG. 11, that is, direction along the first electrode110) along this one side, the openings 154 are disposed at apredetermined interval. A portion of the extraction interconnect 134 isexposed from the opening 154. The extraction interconnect 134 isconnected to the second electrode 130 through the opening 154.

The extraction interconnect 134 is an interconnect for connecting thesecond electrode 130 to the second terminal 132, and includes a layerconstituted of the same material as that of the first electrode 110. Oneend side of the extraction interconnect 134 is located below the opening154, and the other end side of the extraction interconnect 134 isextracted outside the insulating layer 150. In the example shown in thedrawing, the other end side of the extraction interconnect 134 serves asthe second terminal 132. The conductor layer 160 is formed on theextraction interconnect 134. The configuration of the conductor layer160 is the same as that in Modification Example 3. Meanwhile, a portionof the extraction interconnect 134 is covered with the insulating layer150.

The organic layer 120 is formed in a region overlapping the opening 152.A hole injection layer of the organic layer 120 is in contact with thefirst electrode 110, and an electron injection layer of the organiclayer 120 is in contact with the second electrode 130. Therefore, thelight-emitting unit 140 is located in each region overlapping theopening 152.

Meanwhile, in the examples shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a case is shown inwhich the respective layers constituting the organic layer 120 allprotrude to outside the opening 152. As shown in FIG. 11, the organiclayer 120 may or may not be continuously formed between the openings 152next to each other in a direction in which the partition wall 170extends. However, as shown in FIG. 15, the organic layer 120 is notformed in the opening 154.

As shown in FIG. 11 and FIGS. 13 to 15, the second electrode 130 extendsin a second direction (X direction in FIG. 11) intersecting the firstdirection. The partition wall 170 is formed between the secondelectrodes 130 next to each other. The partition wall 170 extends inparallel to the second electrode 130, that is, in the second direction.The foundation of the partition wall 170 is, for example, the insulatinglayer 150. The partition wall 170 is, for example, a photosensitiveresin such as a polyimide-based resin, and is formed in a desiredpattern by exposure and development. Meanwhile, the partition wall 170may be formed of resins other than a polyimide-based resin, for example,an epoxy-based resin or an acrylic-based resin, or an inorganic materialsuch as silicon dioxide.

The partition wall 170 is formed in a shape which is trapezoidal incross-section and is turned upside down (inverted trapezoid). That is,the width of the upper surface of the partition wall 170 is larger thanthe width of the lower surface of the partition wall 170. Therefore,when the partition wall 170 is formed prior to the second electrode 130,the plural second electrodes 130 may be collectively formed on onelateral side of the substrate 100 by vapor deposition or sputtering. Inaddition, the partition wall 170 also has a function of partitioning theorganic layer 120.

The light-emitting device 10 of the present embodiment also includes thesealing layer 200 and the cover layer 210. The configurations andlayouts of the sealing layer 200 and the cover layer 210 areas shown inthe first embodiment or the modification example. However, in thepresent embodiment, the first terminal 112 and the second terminal 132are disposed along the same side of the substrate 100. Therefore, anopening of the sealing layer 200 for exposing the first terminal 112 andan opening thereof for exposing the second terminal 132 are connected toeach other.

Next, a method of manufacturing the light-emitting device 10 in thepresent embodiment will be described. First, the first electrode 110 andthe extraction interconnects 114 and 134 are formed on the substrate100. A method of forming these components is the same as that in thefirst embodiment.

Next, the conductor layer 160 is formed on the extraction interconnect114 and the extraction interconnect 134. Then, the insulating layer 150is formed, and the partition wall 170 is further formed. Next, theorganic layer 120 and the second electrode 130 are formed. A method offorming these components is the same as that in the first embodiment.

The lift-off layer 220, the sealing layer 200, and the cover layer 210are formed in this order. Next, the portion of the sealing layer 200which overlaps the first terminal 112 and the portion thereof whichoverlaps the second terminal 132 are removed. These steps are the sameas those in the first embodiment.

According to the present embodiment, in a display using thelight-emitting unit 140, as is the case with the first embodiment, it ispossible to easily remove a portion of the sealing layer 200 which islocated on the first terminal 112 and a portion thereof which is locatedon the second terminal 132.

As described above, although the embodiments of the present inventionhave been set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, theyare merely illustrative of the present invention, and variousconfigurations other than those stated above can be adopted.

1. A light-emitting device comprising: a substrate; a light-emittingunit formed over the substrate; a terminal which is formed on thesubstrate, and is electrically connected to the light-emitting unit; asealing layer, formed over the substrate, which seals the light-emittingunit and does not cover the terminal; and a cover layer which is formedover the sealing layer, and is formed of a material different from thatof the sealing layer, wherein an end of the cover layer is locatedfurther outside than an end of the sealing layer, in at least a portionof a region located next to the terminal.
 2. The light-emitting deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the sealing layer is an inorganic layer,and a thickness of the sealing layer is equal to or less than 300 nm. 3.The light-emitting device according to claim 2, wherein the cover layeris a thermosetting resin layer.
 4. The light-emitting device accordingto claim 1, wherein the cover layer is thicker than the sealing layer.5. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a portion ofthe cover layer which is located outside the sealing layer is not incontact with a foundation of the sealing layer.
 6. The light-emittingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting unit includes afirst electrode, a second electrode, and an organic layer which islocated between the first electrode and the second electrode, and theterminal is connected to the first electrode or the second electrode. 7.The light-emitting device according to claim 2, wherein the sealinglayer comprises an ALD layer.